Harness.



No. 652,425.v Patented lune. 2s, leon.'

W. 0. CANUTS.

H A R N E S S..

(Application filed Feb. 12, 19011) (No Model.) v

\ iff-Zug, Attorney.

ATE@

TITE

IVILLIS O. OANOUTS, OF PALO, MICHIGAN.

HARNESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 4llatent No. 652,425, dated June 26, 1900..

Application led February l2, 1900. Serial No. 5,007. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that LVVILLIS O. CANOUTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palo, in the county of Ionia and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Traceless Harness, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates more particularly to improvements in harnesses for use for light driving, plowing, harrowing, and log-skidding, duc.; and its object is to dispense with the use of whilfletrees and tugs with harnesses of this class. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure 1 shows an outline of a horse with my harness in position for use. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of my harness on the line :c fr of Fig. 3, and Fig. is an elevation of a harnesshame with my appliance in position.

Similar letters refer to si milar parts throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents an ordinary collar, B represents the haines, F represents the martingale, and I represents the belly-band, of a harness.

G represents a neck-yoke, and E represents the tongue, of a two-horse vehicle.

In the construction of my harness I pivot a supporting-frame C to the front surface of the haines, as at O', directly in the line of draft of the tugs upon an ordinary harness. I provide for changing the position of the support C, first, by raising and lowering the outer end, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8, and, second, by changing .the pivot-point by pivoting the back end in either of the apern tures c' in Fig. 3. This support is held to the desired position by the adjusting-strap H, as shown.

The support O is made of two pieces of preferably thin bar metal, as spring-steel, the outer ends of which are pivotally connected with the head D, as at d d, so that they may be adjusted laterally to be adapted to various sizes of collars. The head D is provided Vwith an outwardlyproj ectin g arm D,which is provided with an opening D" for the reception of the ends G of the neck-yoke, which is constructed like theordinary neck-yoke, except that in lieu of rings at the ends they are provided with a long neck G', having a rounded shoulder at each end, so that it may readily adjust itself to the various positions it is likely to be caused to assume by the Inovements of the horses. The shoulders referred to are formed at one end from the rounded end of the neck-yoke and at the other end by a ball of sufficient size to avert the danger of Vits sliding out of the receptacle D in the arm D', and the ends are held from being pushed out of the end of the arm by a swinging link g or any other available device, substantially as shown in Figs. l and S.

The ring g is designed to receive the end of the martingale F in lieu of passingit up to the bridle, as is done with most tug-harnesses, the office of the martingale in this case being to act in conjunction with the belly-band to hold the harness to position, so that it will not slip forward upon the horses neel; when not in active use.

In using this harness the supports C are adjusted to the proper height, the neck-yoke inserted, substantially as hereinbefore described, and the tongue or chain attached to the neck-yoke in the usual manner, when the act of drawing a load will be performed by the horses drawing directly from the supports O insteadof drawing upon tugs from behind.

I nd this harness peculiarly adapted to the uses hereinbefore stated, and especially to skidding logs, as in the latter use they avert all annoyance of handling'whiiiietrees in the brush and among stumps and trees, rendering skidding with horses fully as convenient and much more expeditious than with oxen, and the danger of accident to the horses or driver is greatly reduced.

A decided advantage gained by the use of this harness with a wagon-tongue is that it averts all danger of the tongue being thrown suddenly against the side or shoulder of the horse, common in the use of the common har` ness, especially upon rough roads or when driving over stubble, the.

VHaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,is-

l. In combination with the collar and haines of a harness, supports pivoted to the llames, a head pivoted to said supports and provided with an open receptacle for the neck-yoke, a

IOO

depending link pivoted to the upper portion of said head over the open portion thereof and a neck-yoke having necks and shoulders formed on the ends to coact with the Openings in the heads substantially as aud for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination Wi th the collar and haines of a harness, a support pivoted to the haines, a head pivoted to the ends of said supports and providedwith a slotfor the reception of the neck-yoke, and a supporting-strap substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the collar and haines of a harness, supports pivoted to the haines,

a head pivoted tothe ends of the supports, and provided with a slot for the reception of the end of the neck-yoke, a retaining-link pivoted tO swing in said slot, a supportingstrap, and a neck-yoke having slim necks formed at the ends and shoulders at each end of said necks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Palo, Michigan, January 3l, 1900.

WILLIS O. CANOUTS.

Witnesses:

W. II. MOORE, OHAs. B. JOHNSON. 

